


Dealing with the Devil

by Panda_Manda_szup



Series: It's Tough to Be a God [4]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: AU of an AU, Blink and you’ll miss Fundywastaken, DreamSMP - Freeform, Dreamon, Happy Halloween here's your treat, Inner Demons, alter-ego, i was so tempted to make this be like buzzfeed unsolved but I needed the angst thanks, uneccessary use of nightmare puns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:13:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27316831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Panda_Manda_szup/pseuds/Panda_Manda_szup
Summary: Be careful when wishing for what you want, for it’s a dream come true when you get it, but a nightmare to pay back. In this case, it’s literal.Bonus AU of this series, in which Dream isn’t the only one with power over the server, or himself.A Halloween special, enjoy!
Series: It's Tough to Be a God [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1963807
Comments: 6
Kudos: 200





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Nightmare appearance inspired by @xpx_isabel and @costcopunk on instagram
> 
> Chapter 2 inspired by this pogchamp comic by @abandon.caution, also on Insta
> 
> All credits goes to them, they're the real dreamers
> 
> If you can't tell, I like...evil Dream

Dream was having a headache, and it was quickly becoming a problem.

The masked man hissed softly as he dragged his feet across the compact dirt and damp moss-covered floors of the swamp lands, forcing himself to walk like a normal player. He ordered himself to slow down, to repress the urge to send mobs scurrying away, to hold back the instinct of reaching out and seeing just how much further he had to walk.

The sun was setting across the murky waters surrounding him, and Dream unclenched his fist.

He then pushed his mask up his face and bent forward, throwing up whatever food he had eaten a few hours prior.

_Shit. No--stop. Stop. Please, don’t-_

Dream was having a splitting headache. It materialised as a figure who caused him problems. 

Quickly rinsing his mouth with a bottle of water, Dream spat out whatever filth remained in his system before straightening up and putting his mask back on. His head hurt, his eyes were watery, but even as darkness crept up around him, Dream could recognise those glowing, orange jackal eyes. 

Eyes that were on a black, circular mask with a mirrored version of his own smile painted on it. Worn by a figure with his fair, his face, his voice. Clothed in black and leaning against a tree, sneering down at his counterpart.

What a Nightmare.

‘Why are you here? What the fuck do you want?’ Dream asked, and the figure wheezed. The black mask shifted, before a hand took it off and spun it around on its base. Nightmare grinned back at him.

‘ **Oh come on now. Take that thing off. It’s not like I don’t know how you look.’**

Dream stared back at his face, a smirk plastered across it. A scratchy scar ran across his nose bridge and crossed over the base of his left eye, scattering the sprinkle of freckles adorning his face. Dark eye bags accented illuminated eyes. Eyes that weren’t his. 

No, Dream would rather be blind, than lose that part of himself to him. If that made sense.

Nightmare’s eyes were sickly yellow, with a red underglow that made his eyes look orange. His pupils were warbled pits of black, black, black, peering through unkempt brownish-dirty blond hair. Dream didn’t know if they looked like a cat, or a goat, or a snake. It didn’t matter, anyway. No one would see them.

‘You didn’t answer my question. What do you _want_?’ Dream growled, arms crossed over his chest. Nightmare pouted, before getting up and walking towards Dream. Orange eyes crinkled with amusement as he stalked over, arms stuffed into his black hoodie pocket.

**‘I want you to take off your mask. Come on! We’re family. There’s no shame, nothing to hide.’**

_Fuck him._

Dream barely pushed off his mask’s black band over his head before a hand snatched it right off his face. Nightmare jumped back just as Dream stumbled forward, eyes widening. He jerked his hand over to cover his left side.

‘Wh- give that back!’ Dream lurched forward, and Nightmare sidestepped, dodging any other attempts made at him with the grace of a black cat. He snickered, and Dream felt his blood boil.

Nightmare quickly held up the white porcelain mask just as Dream pointed his sword at him. Under the moonlight, the blade glinted as it trembled slightly. There was no wind.

‘Give. It. _Back._ ’ Dream demanded, one hand brandishing his weapon, the other gripping his shield. Nightmare merely tilted his head sideways, and waved the white mask around like it was some dog toy. 

**‘Aww, would ya look at that. Nice scar, by the way. I have you to thank for that.’**

Nightmare replied, before flipping the mask backwards and hooking its black band on the tip of Dream’s sword. 

Dream lowered his sword slightly, his mask sliding down the length of his blade and knocking against the pommel. Nightmare threw his arms wide open. He had a mad glint in his eyes, and he started laughing.

**‘What a day! Since when did Tubbo have experience hunting dreamons? And your guy-- Fundy, what a** **_man._ ** **I’m impressed, really. I have not had that much fun in ages. Hah!’** Nightmare cackled, pacing side to side as he looked Dream dead in the eye. Dream threw his sword down, impaling the wet ground, and abandoned his shield. He rushed forward and grabbed the front of Nightmare’s black hoodie, swinging him sideways and throwing him against a tree. Green eyes snarled against orange ones, and Dream pressed forward, hands pushing against Nightmare’s chest.

‘You _asshole._ I had to reset the entire goddamn server because of you. I had to wipe their memories for a whole fucking day! Do you-do you even know what could have happened?! I love Fundy, and Tubbo, and I won’t have you-’

**‘Won’t have me what, Dream? Not defend myself? They were mocking me, using hoes and eggs and golden armour like I’m some Piglin. They’re the ones who didn’t know what they were doing. It’s not my fault.’**

Dream felt something in him snap, and he yanked Nightmare to right before driving a fist forward. Nightmare blocked and let out a laugh, jerking as Dream threw another punch. Green eyes shone with anger, and Dream yelled as he jumped forward to tackle Nightmare to the ground. He drove his knee forward and didn’t stop when he heard Nightmare cough. He shoved him to the ground and punched, not stopping when he felt Nightmare wheeze. Dream could care less about the fact that the pain they felt was shared. No, all he saw was red, _red_ , **_red_ **.

Dream felt his legs get kicked, and suddenly he was on his back as a line of red slipped down his cheek, Nightmare pinning him down with one knee. He tapped Dream’s cheek with the sword that he threw down, flicking off drops of red.

‘Get OFF ME!’ Dream shouted, arms pushing Nightmare off him. Nightmare let his knee slip and slinked upwards like a snake, hand still pointing the sword at Dream. He smiled and bared his teeth.

**‘Getting feisty, are we? I’m surprised you still have that much energy after all the shit that happened, really.’**

And just like that, Dream slumped. He panted, and rubbed his face, wishing for the nightmare to end. God, he hated him. He hated this part of himself. 

Nightmare hummed, keeping the blade trained on Dream as he circled the man. His expression became blank. **‘You should know better than to entertain their little play time. Tubbo and Fundy would have been fine chasing a fairytale, but** **_nooo_ ** **. You just** **_had_ ** **to make sure your players get the entertainment and excitement they want. Well, I hope you're happy. I gave you just what you wanted.’**

Dream stayed silent, the scar on his face making his skin feel fragile. He didn't _want this_. He didn't...he...he…he remembered feeling...not like himself, when Tubbo and Fundy started asking him weird questions and bringing him to weird places. He remembered feeling twitchy and irrationally angry at the tilted dirt barring him from reaching out to his ~~hunters~~ friends. He remembered being forced to stand under a dirt arch lined with lapis as a young boy and a fox-man chanted words of invocation, before hurling eggs at him.

Like Dream was some weird circus animal. Like a _joke._

‘No. No, they...how would I be happy about this? Fundy was just humouring and following what Tubbo was doing. And Tubbo, he doesn’t know everything. He made a guess and I decided to play along for fun. _YOU_ were never supposed to come out!’ Dream yelled back at himself.

Nightmares scoffed. **‘They were hunting dreamons. I’m a dreamon. I’m** **_your_ ** **dreamon. You wanted to let them play their little game, but you didn’t consider the fact that they might not win. And unlike you, I’m not about to let fucking eggs be thrown at me. I'm a winner. They got what they deserved.’**

The smell of smoke came to mind. Dream closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, trying to will the scene away. It came back, of course. The feeling of being split apart, of being thrown out of your body. Dream remembered seeing Fundy frown and Tubbo take a step back as he twitched and convulsed, arms moving against his own will, head snapping back and forth like it was going to fly off his damn neck.

And the explosion. The sound of pathways being broken and cracked, fire licking the remains of the grounds. Tubbo being blasted backwards and blacking out, the front of his armour singed and smoking. Fundy freezing in place as his fiance floated back down to the ground seemingly unscathed, before snapping back to reality and rushing to check on the young boy.

Dream remembered being locked in his own mind, and watching in horror as words that were not his were spoken to give the 2 hunters a false sense of security. He remembered seeing Tubbo recover and Fundy sigh with relief, all the while his mouth sang songs of innocence and deception. He remembered seeing his body move and smile with fake calmness and curiosity, like he didn’t know his own world. He remembered screaming out to stop, _stop, don’t TOUCH THEM! FUNDY, TUBBO, IT’S NOT ME, IT’S DANGEROUS, GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT HE'S NOT ME HE'S NIGHTM-_

He remembered hearing Tubbo whisper to Fundy for one final test, and feeling his blood run cold.

Dream felt claustrophobic, crushed, and _offended,_ as Tubbo and Fundy lured him into the iron door room. In that moment, all he felt was fear and anger. How dare they, _how dare they do this. How dare they do this to_ ** _me._**

**‘You remember the rage, yes? How could you not? To think that Fundy would use your own trauma against you--love should be dead, shouldn't it? Trapping us, trapping** **_you_ ** **in that pathetic one block room with an iron door like a caged animal. Are you an animal, Dream?’**

_No. No I’m not._

But Dream acted like one. He lashed out, Nightmare taking hold of him as he rammed through the door, sending it flying off its hinges. Red clouded his vision as power flooded through him, an animalistic, primal urge to attack and defend overriding his common sense. Dream recalled hearing Tubbo scream as he was sent flying back once more, face slashed by the tip of a sword setting him on fire while he ran blindy off the side of the wooden bridge. Fundy barely had time to wield his golden sword before a blur of green knocked him sideways. The sun made Fundy’s armour shine like molten stars, and Dream thought he was beautiful in that split second before Fundy’s petrified eyes reflected the glint of a blade slicing across his head. Tubbo crashed onto the ground beneath the bridge soon after.

  
  


_ItsFundy was slain by Dream using [Nightmare]_

_Tubbo_ fell from a high place_

  
  


Dream gasped, glancing upwards only to meet Nightmare’s face right in front of him. He was gripping Dream’s left arm, while his right hand shoved the handle of his sword into Dream’s palms. Nightmare’s eyes were blown wide and crazy, deranged and darting across Dream’s face like he was searching for something. He giggled.

**‘It felt good, right? Ha..ha...it felt fucking fantastic! You’re a god, Dream--an Admin. You can do whatever the fuck you want! WE can… we can do whatever the fuck we want, and you can just reset everything when the day ends! No one...hah...no one loses! Hahah..ha..hahAHAHAHA!’**

Shaking, Dream jerked backwards, trying to yank his arm out of Nightmare’s death grip. Orange eyes followed his movements, and Dream couldn’t seem to speak up as Nightmare’s smile became wider and wider, skin stretching and cracking as he licked his teeth.

‘You’re insane. You’re actually insane. Stop, just-’ Dream yelped as he was pulled forward, grimacing as spit flew across his face from Nightmare’s maniacal laughter.

**‘Stop? Dream, no, I'm not going to fucking** **_stop_ ** **. Why would I stop? All this** **_power_ ** **and you’re not going to use it? We could wipe out nations and send hellfire raining down just like that, and all you want to do is play** **_roleplay_ ** **for some rebels?’** Nightmare said, running out of breath. Dream felt his foot drop slightly on an edge, and used the momentum to pull Nightmare off him, sending his alter ego stumbling slightly. The orange-eyed man was still laughing, hands twitching as Dream once again leveled his blade towards him. He willed his hand not to shake. 

‘It's not roleplay, not to them. They're my responsibility. I have to keep this server alive. You know that. If it dies, or goes into obscurity and obsolescence...then, then neither of us will have anything.’

Dream watched as Nightmare stilled, hands dropping. He appeared to be in thought as he peered at Dream with those bloodshot eyes that never belonged to him. Dream realised that he had goat pupils tonight. 

Both figures stared at each other, the coolness of the night wrapping them in silence. Not a sound was made from the earth. It was as if the waters had stopped running while the mobs held their breath in anticipation for a response. 

Greens eyes closed, and sighed. ‘I will not use my power like that. Never. That's not the purpose of being an Admin. Plus, all this destruction and pain? It's not me who wants it. It's you. And you'll never have full power.’

Nightmare locked eyes with Dream, the latter gathering a burst of confidence and standing his ground. Nightmare sneered and shoved his black mask over his face. 

**‘Don't think you're so self-righteous. And let me remind you-- I may not have full power over this server, but I have it over** **_you._ ** **’**

Dream shuffled uncomfortably. Nightmare smiled. He leaned forward and grabbed Dream's chin, nails biting into his skin

**‘None of this would have happened if you just ignored their silly little game. Guess that's what you get for not listening to me. So go ahead, go play the god that you want to be. I'll be there when it all comes crumbling down.’**

The wind blew and howled softly, whistling as it swayed loose tree branches. Dream could make out the end of the swamp lands from the gaps between the leaves. He thanked the land for putting up with him. The wind blew across his face, gently touching the scar he got from a stray piece of debri from the explosion. 

Nightmare pulled out a white mask from his front pocket, and handed it to Dream. It's white face and black smile stared at him, and Dream looked at the man handing it back to him. Nightmare grinned back, and quirked his head towards the mask. 

Dream shut his eyes as he pulled the black band over the back of his head and felt the cool porcelain surface settle across his features. He opened his eyes. 

His headache was gone. 

Retrieving his forgotten shield and sheathing his sword, Dream walked out of the swamp lands and made his way back to the forests surrounding L'Manburg. He glanced backwards to the empty, damp biome he had just left, and saw a slime bouncing its way around a tree. 

The moon hung high up in the sky, looking down on him like an all seeing eye. Dream figured he didn't need to sleep. He's had enough nightmares for one day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And all the kids cried out  
> 'please stop, you're scaring me'  
> I can't help this awful energy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter inspired by this comic by @abandon.caution. Please check it out, it's so good!

The world cried out to him with the pull of chaos and calamity, and Dream felt suffocated and weighed down as he saw the events unfold right before his eyes, though it would be weeks till any of it took place.

No matter. The main pieces were in place. Wilbur was cracking, and he was calling Dream to help him break it all down. 

_‘Hello, Dream.’_ Wilbur greeted, his tone strained yet eerily calm.

‘Hello.’ Dream replied, curious, hesitant, and all knowing at the same time.

The 2 continued to converse, Wilbur riding his way back to Pogtopia’s base, Dream lounging against an ancient tree stump, waiting for the climax of the scene to hit him full force. The masked man knew what was coming--he just didn’t know it completely. He had fragments, selected shards of a screen that would allow him to see the main picture.

Dream would not say he liked, or disliked, the final image. To be fair, he still had a few pieces missing. 

_‘How much would you say that me and Tommy are kind of the bad guys here?’_

Wilbur’s voice didn’t seem burdened or frustrated. On the contrary, Dream noted that he sounded almost...anticipatory. Like a child waiting for validation and recognition of their work. Like a champion waiting for the announcement of their victory. Like a man waiting for redemption.

Dream inhaled deeply and ran his tongue over his teeth, careful not the slip up with his words.

It was a stupidly daunting task, all because Dream wouldn’t let himself be personally involved. Not this time. No, the last time he tried to resist the call to cruelty, he killed a child and a lover. The time before, he invoked betrayals and wounds beyond repair, with battle scars that would never fade so long as he still lived.

So, yes, Dream was being cautious for once in his life. Because, unbeknownst to him, Wilbur had power in his words, and Nightmare would love nothing more than to let those words dictate Dream’s course of action. 

‘I...I don’t think you guys are the bad guys.’ Dream answered, not putting much heart into it. Why would he? Wilbur would scoff at the reply, and rebuke the denial with facts of ~~Tommy and~~ his recent actions against the rightful democratically elected leaders. The masked man sighed, and got up from his place of rest. He began walking towards a certain ravine. He knew what was happening. He could feel it. He did not like it.

Nightmare _loved_ it.

**‘You know what to do, so don’t be a bad boy. He’s basically asking for it--don’t you want to give your players what they want?’** Nightmare taunted, his orange-tainted smile sneering and suffocating Dream’s mind. It was like he was having tunnel vision and being stripped of air, with the only way out being to funnel all his attention on the awry ex-president of L’Manburg. 

_‘I think you would enjoy there to be conflict between Manburg and Pogtopia--and I’m here to facilitate that!’_ Wilbur exclaimed, the giddy, childish excitement in his voice a stark contrast to the subject being proposed. Dream cringed at the thought of the once well kept, grounded leader that he had waged war against, and once again longed for the days where the only snake in the grass wore sunglasses and crowns. Vaguely, he wondered how Eret was doing, seeing a new emperor encroach on the land that he was bestowed. Dream didn’t know how to feel.

Nightmare giggled at the back of his mind, and Dream shook his head, as if he could shake the dreamon out of his headspace. **‘Oh Dreeeaaaam. I would** **_love_ ** **conflict. What about an early Halloween gift for me?’**

_Fuck. Off._ Dream thought, hoping it would grant him just a minute of peace of mind. He heard what sounded like an offended cat hiss. He took that as a win in his books. 

Craning his head upwards, Dream squinted against the glint of moonlight, and watched at the corner of his eyes how the silver shine blanketed the small dirt hole entrance of the rebellion’s hidden base. He himself was out of view of everyone, his green hoodie and expressionless mask blending in with the cold, clammy and cool forest environment. Hearing trotting hooves, Dream caught Wilbur breaking into the clearing along the river bank.

Tommy stood in his worn out Netherite armour, staring at his leader with eyes of disbelief. Wilbur stared back.

Then Dream heard the worst possible invocation ever. 

_‘Dream, let me be your vassal.’_

Tommy’s head snapped up at that statement, eyes widening and breath hitching as Dream felt the boy tighten his hold on his bow. Nightmare forced Dream to reach out and turn his senses to an 11, and the masked man braced himself as he felt Tommy’s throat dry up and his words get caught up, the blond once again looking at Wilbur with something akin to fear this time. 

Dream knew this would happen. Now he had the final piece. Laughter was ringing in his ears.

Nightmare was going to be the one to finish the puzzle and put the pieces in play.

It was as if Wilbur knew Dream had to be near him, and the man revelled in the cold isolated attention of it all. He began asking Dream about TNT, and his plans on rigging Manburg’s land with the same explosives that once plagued his. Tommy stood stock still in silence the entire time. 

Words flowed out of his mouth like molasses, and Nightmare shaped Dream’s reply into affirmation. Yes, he had TNT, quite a bit of it actually. The dreamon materialised behind him, unseen to the rest of the world, but very much there to Dream. Cold hands clamped around his shoulders, and Dream felt like he was stuck in slime, walking through thickened air. Nightmare whispered in his ears, his own voice talking back at him. 

**‘You know what to do. Don’t try anything. I’m watching.’**

_‘Well, I want to set the whole thing up. I want to rig the city’_

…

Dream closed his eyes, and his vision was engulfed in darkness.

‘Where do you want to meet?’

Time skipped ahead, and Dream pearled his way to Pogtopia. As he stepped out of the shadows, he saw Wilbur perched on a tree branch and jump down. The man greeted him warmly, throwing his hand forward for a shake like old friends. His eyes were bloodshot, and eyebags hung down his face. From the harsh glare of the torches placed inside the entrance, Wilbur’s face was shaded, his curly brown hair covering one half of his face, throwing it into darkness. He looked gone, completely lost, yelt Dream knew that Wilbur had found himself. Or at least, he thought he did. 

Dream produced a box with twine string wrapped around it. Inside it, a near stack of TNT sat, waiting to be ignited. The string cut into his gloves, and Dream felt the weight of it all in the palm of his hand. Nightmare gently placed his hands on Dream’s forearm, and he could feel his alter ego nudging him. 

Slowly, Dream lifted up his arm, allowing the package to hang in the air and dangle slightly, Wilbur’s eyes glinting with glee in the background. The TNT hung like forbidden fruit, within reach of those who wanted it, held by those who didn’t need it. Wilbur’s eyes were hungry. 

_‘Dream-Dream, don’t do this! Please!’_

A tug on his hoodie pulled Dream’s attention away. It gave him a moment of clarity, just enough to break from Nightmare’s hold and focus on Tommy. Just Tommy. The big man himself.

Dream tilted his mask towards the boy, fully covering his face. Tommy was next to him, right hand gripping the ends of the hoodie while his left hung at his side with his bow. His fingers crumpled the green fabric, and Dream noticed his fingers shiver. Tommy didn’t look like he was cold.

  
  


‘ _You know this isn’t the right thing to do!’_ he begged, voice hoarse yet solid. The blond boy’s eyes looked up at the white mask like it was his last resort. Tears pooled at the edge of Tommy’s eyes, and his bottom lip lightly trembled, though he did his best to bite it down. Dream was thrown back in time, like he was on that wooden bridge at sundown, the fate of a nation resting on the shaft of an arrow. This was a boy making his stand, amongst his fears and hopes crashing down on him like blackstone walls, whilst the man he once knew fell down with it.

Dream didn’t want this. Tommy... _Tommy is just a kid. He’s only 16–_

  
  


**‘Listen to me Dream.’**

  
  


His vision became clouded in midnight black. An orange smile with 2 eyes stared at him from behind. 

**‘You remember what happened the** **_last_ ** **time you disobeyed me, don’t you?’** Nightmare said, his face seemingly floating in the air. Immediately, Dream was overwhelmed with the sounds of screams and explosion, the smell of tilled dirt and smoky flames, and the sight of red on gold armour and iron doors. 

**_‘Don’t you?’_ **

The orange smile widened, its blank outline becoming distorted and shifty, like it was multiplying and phasing in and out of reality. Nightmare purred against Dream, playfully flicking a stray hair off the side of his white mask. 

**_‘Don’t you, Dream?_ **

Dream heaved, chest painfully rising up and down as he struggled to inhale air. He clenched his fist hard enough for it to shake, for his nails to bite into the black leather glove. He almost wished the gloves were off, just so he could ground himself with the sharp sting of nails breaking calloused skin and drawing blood. God, he wished he was normal. He wished he wasn’t an Admin. He wished he didn’t have to live with this Nightmare. 

A small voice broke through the mist, and Dream blinked. Tommy was glaring at Wilbur, his right hand seemingly trying to wrestle his bow hand down. On the other side, Wilbur had one hand on the bottom of the TNT package still dangling from Dream’s reach. He was glaring back at Tommy. 

_‘Dream?’_

Nightmare stared at him from the edge of the river, his black outfit and orange eyes unmoving. He tilted his head towards Wilbur. 

**‘Dream.’**

In one swift motion, the package was shoved in Wilbur’s hand as Dream pushed him backwards with one hand, the other throwing up his shield and knocking Tommy slightly off balance. He breathed heavily against his mask, and Tommy gaped at him from the side.

Dream looked beyond Tommy, meeting his own face. He started getting a headache as the ringing in his ears became too loud. 

‘I’m sorry Tommy, but I have to.’

The ringing stopped. The headache became worse. Nightmare walked through Tommy and gently cupped Dream’s ear.

**‘Good boy.’**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t you just hate it when your inner demon comes out to make you bully British children and endorse block men boomers

**Author's Note:**

> Fandom: NIGHTMARE!  
> Tubbo and Fundy: DREAMON!  
> Me: both, both are good. 
> 
> pspsps, rmb to check out the amazing Instagram artist I mentioned!


End file.
